An affordable housing program that delivers inmate-built homes to aspiring homebuyers across the state
shipped to an unusual destination last month: Sioux Falls’ Whittier neighborhood.
Governor’s House homes are typically ordered in areas where there’s more room to spread out — not a denserbuilt,
urban core community such as this one northeast of downtown.
But new homeowner Lim Bun said he wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.
"If I became a billionaire, I would live there on this little corner," said Bun, standing outside his home Thursday
morning at Second Street and Highland Avenue as contractors shingled the attached garage.
Narrow lots in older neighborhoods like Whittier present some challenges. Bun couldn’t place the house and
garage exactly as he wanted it because of setback regulations.
It also took extra effort to cut down trees and make the lot ready to move the house in. That’s a few thousand
dollars that came out of Bun’s pocket. He’ll also have to rebuild sidewalks once construction is complete.
Bun, a 29-year-old banker at Home Federal Bank, was disappointed with the housing options that fit his budget
until he heard about the Governor’s House program from a friend in Pierre just over a year ago.
The program has been around for 18 years. Its mission is to help provide affordable housing and help prisoners
learn job skills they can use once they’ve served their time. Inmates build the homes in warehouse in
Springfield, S.D.